Conduit or cable clamp and bridle-ring



H.. W. PLEISTER. CONDUIT 0R CABLE CLAMP AND BBIDLE RING.

APPLICATION FILED D E C.24, 1920. I l Patented June 14, 1921.

Tai 72 2 ATT EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFHQE.

HENRY W. PLEISTER, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY ASSIGNOR TO HENRY B.NEWHALL, EXECUTOR OF HENRY B. NEWI-IALL, $3., DECEASED.

CONDUIT OB CABLE CLAMP AND BRIDLE-RING.

Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Patented J n 14 1921 Applicationfiled. December 24, 1920. Serial No. 432,973.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, I'IENRY IV. PLEisTEn, acitizen of theUnited States, residing at lVcstfield. in the county ofUnion and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful.Improvements in Conduit or Cable Clamps and Bridle-Rings, of which thefollowing is a specification, taken. in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

My invention relates to the combination of a conduit or cable clamp anda bridle ring, and also to a cable or conduit clamp and a bridle ring assub-combinations of the main combination, and as articles ofmanufacture. I

My invention relates to a cable or conduit clamp, which can bemanufactured at minimum expense and to which a bridle ring may besecured either at the original installation of the cable and conduitclamp, or at any future time when it may be desirable to support one ormore runs of bridle wires. My invention further relates to a conduit orcable clamp provided with integral means to space the head of thesecuring screw from the base to permit a bridle ring to be hooked under,and be secured by, the head of the securing screw, without loosening ortightening the screwto attach or detach the bridle rin ' lll lyinvention further relates to such a conduit or cable clamp having ahollow struck up boss of less diameter than the head of the securingscrew to be employed with the clamp.

My invention further relates to such a conduit or cable clamp havingmeans to cooperate with the shank of a bridle ring and prevent itsaccidental or unauthorized swinging or pivoting on the boss after thebridle ring is mounted.

My invention further relates to such a conduit or cable clamp havingmeans to hold the shank of the bridle ring under spring tension after itis brought into its operative position on'the clamp.

My invention further relates to a conduit or cable clamp which ispreferably formed out of pressed sheet material, as pressed steel, orwhich may be formed from castings of malleable iron, brass, an alloy,aluminum or any other metal.

My invention further relates to certain combinations, sub-combinations,articles of manufacture, and details of construction,

dition of my bridle ring, and runs of bridle wires supported by thebridle ring;

. Fig. 3 1s a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking inthe direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of my preferred form of bridle ring;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail plan view of a modification, in whichdifierent forms of lugs or tits may be employed.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of I Fig. 5, looking in thedirection of the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail plan view of a still furthermodificationin which the valley between the lugs or tits is raised abovethe level of the base so as to hold the bridle ring under springtension;

Fig. 8 is a detail vertical section on the line 8-8 of Fig. '7, lookingin the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the conduit.

or cable clamp shown in Fig. l. I

In the commercial use of conduit or cable clamps it is not generallypossible, at the date of the original installation, to determine whetheror not bridle rings will be needed to support additional loosestrands ofbridle wires. In commercial practice, a cable is supported on a wall orother suitable support and it may be weeks, months, or years later thatthe telephone engineers will determine that it is desirable to supportbridle wires parallel to the cable.

By my invention my original conduit or cable clamp may be used as aseparate article of manufacture or sub-combination, and then later, whenthe need of the service demands it, my bridle ring may be supported bythe same conduit or cable clamp, when the complete combination would beused.

In my invention the cable 1 is supported I I on a wall or other suitablesupport 2 by m a s 9f he'c ndui or cable clamp 3,-having a hook portion4, and a base 5. The clamp is held to the wall or other support 2 bymeans of a securing screw having a head 6.

By my invention it firmly secure the base 5 of too conduit cable clampto the support 2 et leave a Sp e botweenthe head 6 of the securing screwand the surface of the 5. This space forms a channel 7, in 'ch hook abridle ring without operatsecuring screw, either to loosen or tightenit. It is well known that when screws screwed into a support, thenloosened, and a member inserted under the head of the screw, which isagain tightened to clamp the member, the fastening is not as secure asit was originally for the screw can not fill the female threads in thesupport o. penetrate as far as it did originally. in first installingthe cable 1 the screw is screwed through the hollow boss 8, whichpreferably struck up from the base 5, so that the screw head 6 pressesfirmly on the end of the hollow boss 8. After the screw is oncepositioned the fastening isnever weaksued by again operating the screwto clamp anything under its head. W'eeks, months or years later, whenthe telephone or telegraph engineers may determine that it is advisableto increase the capacity of the installation bv stringing runsof bridlewires 9, 9, this can be readily done, without turning the head 6 of thesecuring screw, by simply hooking the hook 10 of the bridle ring 11 overthe boss 8 back of the head 6 of the screw. lhe bridle ring can bereadily attached by bringing it into a horizontal position as shown inFig. 2 of my companion application, Ser. No. 424,472.

in swinging the bridle ring 11 down into its vertical position, after itis engaged behind the head 6 of the screw and over the boss 8, it hasmore or less pivoted movement on the boss. in my invention this is prevented by means mounted on the base to stop this rocking:- or pivotedmovement. This insures that when the bridle ringis once positioned itwill not accidentally be moved by wind or otherpressure on the bridlewires to accidentally disengage the bridle ring from the conduit orcable clamp.

l "may employ various means to accomplish thisresult. I have shown forexample in Fi 1. 2 and 3 lugs or tits 12, 12 struck up from the baseleaving a valley 13 between them. In positioning the bridle ring,whatever its form may be, after hooking the hook '10 over the boss 8 andbehind the head 6 of-the screw, the shank 14 of the bridle ring is swungdown and forced over one of the lugs or tits 12, the shank coming torest in the valley-13: These lugs or tits 12, 12

actas stops or looks and prevent the bridle ring swinglng orpivotingupon the boss 8,

due to wind or other pressure on the runs of bridle wires 9, 9.

1 may also form these lugs or tits as shown in Figs, 5 and 6 in whichthe lug or tit 15 has a inclined or wedged surface 16.

it and the lug or tit 17 is an interosed valley 18. The valley 18 liessubstantially in the sameplane as the outer or exposed surface of thebase 5; that is, it is not raised substantially above the plane of thebase.

in some cases may desire to arrange the lugs, tits and valley so thatthe bridle ring will remainunder spring tension as long as it isconnected to the conduit or cable clamp. l his makes a very firm look. Ihave shown such a construction in Figs. 7 and 8 in which the valley 19is raised above the plane of the surface of the base 5 so that when theshank 14 is pressed over the lug or tit 20 it will become seated in thevalley 19 lying between that lug or tit and the corresponding lug or tit21. This will cause the shank 14 to remain under spring tension, due tothe fact that the hook 1O ofthe bridle ring is engaged behind the head 6of the screw and the shank 14 is held out or away from the plane of thebase 5, the valley 19 being, as previously described raised above theplane of the base 5 to insure this action.

My boss 8 may be located in any suitable position on the base 5. It ispreferably, however, located adjacent to the under surface of the hook4, so that this hook acts as a lock or stop to prevent the bridle hook10 being disengaged from the channel 7 by a vertical movement. When theboss is so located no amount of vibration of the bridle wires 9, 9 cancause the hook 10 of the bridle ring to move vertically a sufiicientdistance to cause it to become disengaged from the channel 7.

In my invention it is immaterial Whether the screw has rusted in itssupport 2 or whether or not the slot 22 in the head of the screw 6 hasrusted to such an extent as to interfere with the ready insertion andmanipulation of a screw driver, for no screw driver or other tool isemployed to attach the bridle ring to the conduit or cable clamp.

Having thus described this invention in connection with illustrativeembodiments thereof, to the details of which I do not deaccidental orunauthorized swinging of a bridle ring with relation to the conduit orcable clamp.

2. A conduit or cable clamp provided with a hook portion and a basehaving a hollow boss struck up from the base, the opening in the bossadapted to receive a securing screw and keep its head from contactingwith the surface of the base, said boss being of less diameter than thehead of a securing screw to cooperate with a bridle ring, and means onthe base to cooperate with the bridle ring and prevent its unauthorizedor accidental pivoting on the hollow boss.

3. A conduit or cable clamp provided with a hook portion and a basehaving a hollow boss struck up from the base, the opening in the bossadapted to receive a securing screw and keep its head from contactingwith the surface of the base, said boss being of less diameter than thehead of a securing screw to cooperate with a bridle ring, and lugs ortits on the base to cooperate with the bridle ring and prevent itsunauthorized or accidental pivoting on the hollow boss.

i. A conduit or cable clamp provided with a hook portion and a basehaving a hollow boss struck up from the base, the opening with thesurface of the base, said boss being of less diameter than the head of asecuring screw to cooperate with a bridle ring, and means on the base tohold the shank of a bridle ring under spring tension toprevent thebridle ring moving with relation to the conduit or cable clamp.

5. A conduit or cable clamp provided with a hook portion and a basehaving ahollow boss struck up from the base, the opening in the bossadapted to receive a securing screw and keep its head from contactingwith the surface of the base, said boss being of less diameter than thehead of a securing screw to cooperate with a bridle ring, and lugs ortits on the base to hold the shank of a bridle ring under spring tensionto prevent the bridle ring moving with relation to the conduit or cableclamp.

HENRY W. PLEISTER.

